American Bar Association Calls for Halt to Executions in Ohio

A team of Ohio legal experts working with the American Bar Association issued a report today calling for a temporary halt to executions in Ohio, claiming that “Ohio?s death penalty system is flawed due to inadequate procedures to protect defendants.”

Supposedly, “the ABA neither supports nor opposes the death penalty, but it does urge a moratorium on executions until fairness and due process are assured in death penalty cases.”

According to the press release, Ohio has a lot of problems including:

Inadequate access to experts and investigators

Inadequate procedures to protect defendants

Inadequate legal representation

Inadequate appellate review of claims of error

Lack of meaningful proportionality review of death sentences

Virtually nonexistent discovery provisions in state post-conviction

Racial and geographic disparities in Ohio?s capital sentencing

Death sentences imposed or carried out on people with severe mental disabilities